Gran Canaria

About the Route

For all of Gran Canaria’s mountain terrain, hairpins are not so dense on this peaked volcanic rock in the middle of an Atlantic archipelago; instead, the road architecture tends to be steeper and less pointy. Hunting for hairpins, this route takes in some of the most stunning roads of the island; some very well known, others more obscure, but overall showcasing some hairpins that can hold their own in any company.

Starting in Mogan village, we head inland past the colourful rocks of the Azulejos, taking in our first hairpins on the lightning fast descent down into La Aldea de San Nicolas.

Anyone who has approached the valley of the tears before will be familiar with the preamble through the valley of the dams, the densely packed hairpins past each successive dam an impressive testament to labours of the roadbuilders through this desolate valley.

Desolation may turn to desperation as we continue to count hairpins - the steepest of the day - as we take on the valley of the tears (the ‘VotT’) itself. Passing the goat farm’s pungent air we leave the worst behind, heading now to the sacred Roque Bentayga for a foray off the beaten path, laden with switchbacks rarely travelled, before climbing out of this dead-end beauty spot again.

Our finale is a duo of classics: the Salto del Perro/ El Pinar climb- or ‘sh*tty part of Soria’ and ‘serenity’, also known as the ‘little Stelvio’, Tauropass or Cruz San Antonio/ Pie de la Cuesta, or simply GC-605 km23 to 14.5km..! Regardless of names, these perpetually contorted asphalt snake neighbours are a fitting end to finish out our ride, back in Mogan pueblo.